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Theology of the Body Explained: A Commentary on John Paul II's Man and Woman He Created Them
General audience addresses from September 5, 1979 to November 28, 1984. Focusing on the human person in light of the mystery of Christ, Pope John Paul II sets forth a theology of the body which affirms human dignity and connects human fulfillment to the imitation of Christ's complete gift of self. The Pope applies this positive approach to total self-giving to married couples, those who are single and to those living a celibate life. A special feature--an appendix including three related Church documents: Of Human Life, On the Dignity and Vocation of Women, and The Gospel of Life.
688 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2003
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467 people want to read
About the author
Christopher West
138 books229 followersChristopher West is a research fellow and faculty member of the Theology of the Body Institute. He is also one of the most sought after speakers in the Church today, having delivered more than 1000 public lectures on 4 continents, in more than a dozen countries, and in over 200 American cities. His books – Good News About Sex & Marriage, Theology of the Body Explained, and Theology of the Body for Beginners – have become Catholic best sellers.
Christopher has also lectured on a number of prestigious faculties, offering graduate and undergraduate courses at St John Vianney Seminary in Denver, the John Paul II Institute in Melbourne, Australia, and Creighton University’s Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha. Hundreds of thousands have heard him on national radio programs and even more have seen him defending the faith on programs such as Scarborough Country, Fox and Friends, and At Large with Geraldo Rivera. Of all his titles, Christopher is most proud to call himself a devoted husband and father. He and his wife Wendy have five children and live in Lancaster County, PA.
Christopher has also lectured on a number of prestigious faculties, offering graduate and undergraduate courses at St John Vianney Seminary in Denver, the John Paul II Institute in Melbourne, Australia, and Creighton University’s Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha. Hundreds of thousands have heard him on national radio programs and even more have seen him defending the faith on programs such as Scarborough Country, Fox and Friends, and At Large with Geraldo Rivera. Of all his titles, Christopher is most proud to call himself a devoted husband and father. He and his wife Wendy have five children and live in Lancaster County, PA.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 19, 2023
An incredibly helpful guide to TOB - definitely couldn't have made it through JPII's more difficult philosophical discourses without West's clarifying and yet still intensive (this book is also 600 pages lol) help.
September 28, 2007
What a great explanation of a recent move in Catholic theology. It just paints a beautiful and full picture of life. A good exploration into the inner motivations of life. Also, a great explanation of Catholic views concerning marriage, celibacy, and abortion. It really has me, a Protestant, considering the morality of contraception.
March 18, 2024
Well, this was a slow burner for me, clocked it at three-plus months and tried my hardest to take it all in. I will be plumbing the depths of this resource for a lifetime and I am so grateful for it. Without CW's commentary, JP II's teaching would have been out of reach for me. Great stuff, I recommend 10/10
August 14, 2019
I didn’t want to get into the complexity of West’s interpretation while TOB in its entirety in two weeks. Life is too short, and I don’t need to be inundated with knowledge to the point where the purpose becomes a diluted chore. By the epilogue, West points us to thinking of TOB as a spiritual puberty that can only begin to develop into its fully adult maturity.
January 20, 2025
West's authorial voice is intermittently annoying, but there's some beautiful stuff in here.
September 8, 2016
This truly is an amazing book. West explains, in great detail, what John Paul II's catechesis of the Theology of the Body is, and why it is so important and necessary for current Catholics.
This book is not as easy a read as George Weigl claims in the introduction, but it is very rewarding. John Paul II takes traditional Catholic views and turns them on their heads, all the while keeping true to the Magisterium's and the Church's traditional scriptural teachings. Not an easy task, but John Paul II accomplishes it with humility, wisdom and genius.
Although it is always best to read the actual source material instead of relying on second-hand explanations, West quotes extensively from the Pope's published audiences as they relate to the TOB, so the initiate does not feel left out of the conversation.
West follows the Pope's five-year cycle of Wednesday catecheses as he explains the elements of the Theology of the Body. This would be my suggestion to the reader: read the last section first, Cycle 6, and then return to the beginning. Obviously, this way the reader will not understand everything that West is referring to, but Cycle 6 places the Pope's argument in both a theological and historical context, and once you see the need for such a radical theological revision you will want to understand all the details.
Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body (TOB)is an answer to the criticisms that Pope Paul VI (and the Catholic Church) received after issuing in 1968 the controversial encyclical Humanae Vitae, which was the Church's response to the contraceptive use of The Pill. Humanae Vitae is a life-changing document that must be read by every Catholic. In his TOB John Paul II explains the theological underpinnings of Humanae Vitae, and why understanding this document is still needed in our current society.
In TOB John Paul II explains what it truly means to be a man and a woman, and what it means to be in love, and to live a conjugal life. Obviously, a cursory glance at these topics shows their significance as they relate to today's Culture of Death.
Pope John Paul's analysis of love is thorough, thoughtful, and scriptural. Taking his cue from Jesus' reply to the Pharisees' question about divorce, John Paul II returns to Adam and Eve in order to re-examine their relationship, in order to further understand the authentic man and woman, before the Fall. John Paul II also examines extensively St. Paul's controversial letter to the Ephesians and he explains, in great detail, the theological implications of this text.
With constant analysis of specific biblical passages, John Paul II creates an overwhelming case for a new theology, a new way of understanding married life, and of living out our faith more authentically/sacramentally. West also delves into the Pope's analysis of The Book of Tobit and the sensual poetry of The Song of Songs as further evidence of how/why his TOB is not really anything new, and how it has always been in the Bible.
I cannot stress the necessity for the faithful to understand and implement John Paul II's TOB as soon as possible. In fact, I would add West's book to my very short list of necessary documents to guide a Catholic's life: The Bible, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Humanae Vitae, and The Theology of the Body Explained. Given that the TOB is seen as a stepping stone to The New Evangelization, the task of immediate implementation is all the more pressing!
Whatever you may think of the Catholic point of view about married life and conjugal love (yes, I'm talking to "modern" Catholics who think the Church is outdated and not in touch with the real world) be prepared to abandon your old beliefs and to adopt a more authentic, Bible-based, faithful (faith-filled) way of life. Reading this book (and/or John Paul II's published TOB) will be a liberating, life-changing experience for the Catholic faithful. And it just may convert a few non-Catholics along the way.
This book is not as easy a read as George Weigl claims in the introduction, but it is very rewarding. John Paul II takes traditional Catholic views and turns them on their heads, all the while keeping true to the Magisterium's and the Church's traditional scriptural teachings. Not an easy task, but John Paul II accomplishes it with humility, wisdom and genius.
Although it is always best to read the actual source material instead of relying on second-hand explanations, West quotes extensively from the Pope's published audiences as they relate to the TOB, so the initiate does not feel left out of the conversation.
West follows the Pope's five-year cycle of Wednesday catecheses as he explains the elements of the Theology of the Body. This would be my suggestion to the reader: read the last section first, Cycle 6, and then return to the beginning. Obviously, this way the reader will not understand everything that West is referring to, but Cycle 6 places the Pope's argument in both a theological and historical context, and once you see the need for such a radical theological revision you will want to understand all the details.
Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body (TOB)is an answer to the criticisms that Pope Paul VI (and the Catholic Church) received after issuing in 1968 the controversial encyclical Humanae Vitae, which was the Church's response to the contraceptive use of The Pill. Humanae Vitae is a life-changing document that must be read by every Catholic. In his TOB John Paul II explains the theological underpinnings of Humanae Vitae, and why understanding this document is still needed in our current society.
In TOB John Paul II explains what it truly means to be a man and a woman, and what it means to be in love, and to live a conjugal life. Obviously, a cursory glance at these topics shows their significance as they relate to today's Culture of Death.
Pope John Paul's analysis of love is thorough, thoughtful, and scriptural. Taking his cue from Jesus' reply to the Pharisees' question about divorce, John Paul II returns to Adam and Eve in order to re-examine their relationship, in order to further understand the authentic man and woman, before the Fall. John Paul II also examines extensively St. Paul's controversial letter to the Ephesians and he explains, in great detail, the theological implications of this text.
With constant analysis of specific biblical passages, John Paul II creates an overwhelming case for a new theology, a new way of understanding married life, and of living out our faith more authentically/sacramentally. West also delves into the Pope's analysis of The Book of Tobit and the sensual poetry of The Song of Songs as further evidence of how/why his TOB is not really anything new, and how it has always been in the Bible.
I cannot stress the necessity for the faithful to understand and implement John Paul II's TOB as soon as possible. In fact, I would add West's book to my very short list of necessary documents to guide a Catholic's life: The Bible, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Humanae Vitae, and The Theology of the Body Explained. Given that the TOB is seen as a stepping stone to The New Evangelization, the task of immediate implementation is all the more pressing!
Whatever you may think of the Catholic point of view about married life and conjugal love (yes, I'm talking to "modern" Catholics who think the Church is outdated and not in touch with the real world) be prepared to abandon your old beliefs and to adopt a more authentic, Bible-based, faithful (faith-filled) way of life. Reading this book (and/or John Paul II's published TOB) will be a liberating, life-changing experience for the Catholic faithful. And it just may convert a few non-Catholics along the way.
October 9, 2022
While this book was excellent, I found that reading Pope John Paul II's original book "Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body" was more worthwhile.
September 21, 2012
First of all I think it would be better to start with the book and not with the commentary, but after all I think it is well written and I would like to read the book "Gospel of the Body".
March 5, 2014
Listened to Christopher West's CD that explains the Theology of the Body. He does an excellent job of explaining the Church teachings and gives real life examples.
Read
October 22, 2015Purchased by Rene. Hershey address label inside front cover. Some underlining in. First fifteen pages. Tea stains on edge of pages.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2016
I had already Theology of the Body and the one for beginners, so I didn't get much more out of this one. It's just as long as the one John Paul II wrote.
July 6, 2009
West does a great job of breaking down JPII's writing in a much more accessible way.
April 1, 2017
I'd give 5/6 of this book 5 stars: profound, timeless, scriptural, deeply philosophical reflection upon the human condition and vocation as image-bearers of the Creator God, particularly as that vocation is brought to bear within sex and sexuality. A gift to the Church. Though, the notion that the language and style of this particular work is more "accessible" than the papal source material or oriented toward the non-academic world is a bit laughable; this is a dense, heady, highly philosophical work in its own right, which makes one wonder to whom John Paul II imagined he was speaking in the course of the 129 addresses which serve as the source and inspiration for this book.
I would give the last 1/6 of this book 1 or 2 stars, as the author (and, presumably the Pope) endeavor to turn and leverage the weighty and honorable work they have just taken such care to undertake into a 450 page defense of the Catholic Church's (admittedly extra-biblical) stance on the evils of contraception. There is beauty and truth in the biblical vision of sexuality put forth, here. But in the end, it feels largely wasted in defense of a morally tenuous pastoral tradition, almost entirely unsupported by the text of scripture itself.
I would give the last 1/6 of this book 1 or 2 stars, as the author (and, presumably the Pope) endeavor to turn and leverage the weighty and honorable work they have just taken such care to undertake into a 450 page defense of the Catholic Church's (admittedly extra-biblical) stance on the evils of contraception. There is beauty and truth in the biblical vision of sexuality put forth, here. But in the end, it feels largely wasted in defense of a morally tenuous pastoral tradition, almost entirely unsupported by the text of scripture itself.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews